Most golf cars, and other small utility vehicles, have brake systems in one form or another. Examples of such systems may be found with reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,867,289, 5,158,415, and 5,713,189, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein for their technical teachings. While the above referenced patent documents, and other references, discuss application of brakes to utility vehicles and golf cars, brake systems for small vehicles and golf cars may yet be improved to increase the ease of use, feel, performance, serviceability, and the like.
One typical golf car brake system includes a brake pedal and interconnected accelerator pedal. When the brake pedal is depressed a predetermined distance, the brake system operates in a normal or service mode. Depressing the brake pedal further and engaging a secondary toe-actuated lever engages a parking mode which maintains the golf car in a stationary position.
Traditionally, the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal are constructed such that they pivot about an axis that is generally at or below the floorboard of the golf car. This arrangement is largely due to the limitations imposed by the mechanical linkages and cables required to actuate the throttles and brakes of the vehicle. However, this traditional design may suffer from a number of disadvantages, not the least of which is contamination, corrosion, and/or physical damage. That is, many golf cars operate in severe corrosive environments. For instance, these golf cars are exposed almost daily to caustic elements, such as fertilizers, salt, and detergents. All of these contribute to the corrosion of metallic components on the golf cars, such as conventional braking and accelerator systems. Moreover, damage to the undersurface of the golf car may result from those components snagging on brush, dirt mounds, and other hazards that the vehicle may pass over. Such systems that are disposed along the underside of the golf car also require that the golf car be hoisted in order to perform any necessary service thereon.
Furthermore, the low pivot point of conventional pedal systems of golf cars may fail to promote proper ergonomic positioning if the driver's foot, ankle, and leg. That is, it is more difficult to actuate a pedal whose pivot point is located near the pivot point of the operator's heal on the floorboard. This close proximity of these pivot points to one another lead to reduced mechanical advantage, which lead to fatigue. This improper positioning thus results in driver discomfort.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide a pedal system for a golf car that is generally protected from the harshness of contamination, corrosion, and/or physical damage. Furthermore, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide a pedal system for golf cars that is suspended for a raised position so as to promote improved ergonomic positioning of the driver's foot, ankle, and leg. Further, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide a pedal system that may be easily serviced without requiring the golf car to be hoisted. Still further, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide a suspended pedal system that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.